Hon’ble Dr. Sadhna Shanker

Member

Term of Office : August 4, 2023 to August 3, 2027

PROFILE:

   Dr Sadhna Shanker retired from the Indian Revenue Service as Principal Director General of Income Tax(Human Resources) at New Delhi. Of the 1987 batch, she has worked on deputation in the Central Ministries of Health, Home Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation. She has also worked as Advisor in Competition Commission of India. Apart from holding senior positions in the Central Government, she is also a prolific author and blogger. With a B.Com (Hons) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, she also did a PhD in Economics, and an LLB. She is a passionate wordsmith and has an avid interest in books and movies.

   She has contributed to national and international English newspapers including The Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express, International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Khaleej Times, and Huffington Post. Currently, she contributes a monthly column in the Dainik Bhaskar, Lokmat and The South Asian Times. She blogs at https://themindprism.com

   Her first book, “Ahlanwa-sahlan – A Syrian Journey” (2006) has been published in English, Arabic and Hindi. Her subsequent books include “When the Parallels Meet” (2007) – a book of essays on journeys big and small, “Never a Disconnect” (2010) – debut fiction, {Niyogi Books} brings out the challenges faced by urban Indian women, and “Catching Fireflies” (2016) – the co-authored e-book captures travel experiences across the globe. “Ascendance” (2018) is science fiction published by Rupa Publications. It has been translated as ‘Arohan’ in Hindi. Her first book, “Ahlanwa-sahlan – A Syrian Journey” (2006) has been published in English, Arabic and Hindi. Her subsequent books include “When the Parallels Meet” (2007) – a book of essays on journeys big and small, “Never a Disconnect” (2010) – debut fiction, {Niyogi Books} brings out the challenges faced by urban Indian women, and “Catching Fireflies” (2016) – the co-authored e-book captures travel experiences across the globe. “Ascendance” (2018) is science fiction published by Rupa Publications. It has been translated as ‘Arohan’ in Hindi. “When they conversed” was published in 2022 bringing together her published articles and blog posts.

   She has participated in many literary festivals, including the Jaipur Literary Festival and Unmesha, the Sahitya Akademi festival. She was active on ‘Doordarshan’ where she scripted and anchored programs on current affairs, social issues, youth affairs and women’s issues, apart from playing the lead role in TV dramas and serials, including “Ashad ka ek din”, “Baisakhi”, “Sabun”, and “Khamoshi”